Members of Nagaon district Mahila Congress felicitate Rajya Sabha MP Nazneen Faruque on Sunday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati/Silchar, March 29: The Opposition today upped the ante against the ruling Congress by seeking disqualification of the legislators who went against the party whips in the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections.

The BJP was even considering dragging four of its MLAs to the Supreme Court.

An unrelenting Opposition, which forced four adjournments of the day’s proceedings in the Assembly in protest against Dispur’s alleged attempt to “murder” democracy by using money and muscle power, met this evening to chalk out its future strategy to embarrass the government. The 2010-11 budget, was however, passed in the House by a voice vote amid the din this afternoon.

BJP’s deputy leader in the House Rameswar Teli said the party had already moved Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai seeking disqualification of the four party MLAs — Abhijit Hazarika, Rumi Nath, Kartik Sena Sinha and Sambhu Singh Malla — who voted for Congress.

The party said it was in touch with the central leadership, particularly BJP general secretary and spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad, on how to get their votes cancelled.

“The party is very serious. We would drag these MLAs to the Supreme Court, as they have not only let the party down but also the people at large. We are not letting go of this issue,” Teli said.

The Opposition parties are believed to be readying their papers for legal action.

The parties will also contend the government’s announcement of three development councils in the House a day before the polls to “influence” some Opposition MLAs.

The BJP, sources said, had even lodged a police case of abduction after they failed to trace the four MLAs on Thursday.

AIUDF’s chief whip Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya said they would move the Speaker by tomorrow with a request to make separate seating arrangements for the two party MLAs — Rasul Haque and Anawarul Haque — who voted for the Congress and their subsequent disqualification.

AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary said the party would also seek disqualification of Abdul Aziz by next week. “The polls are a black day in Assam’s political history. The chief minister’s true colours have been exposed. We will take the issue to the people,” he said.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, however, came down heavily on the Opposition for trying to block the passage of the budget. “They have no right to criticise us. They are anti-people and anti-poor,” he said.